An objective of the invention is to provide a skin cosmetic composition and an antibacterial agent for a skin cosmetic which exhibit antibacterial effects even without using parabens and are safe to the human body. To attain this objective, the invention provides a skin cosmetic composition comprising: a component (A) which is either one or both of hexyl glyceryl ether and cyclohexyl glyceryl ether, a component (B) which is either one or both of 1,2-propanediol and 1,3-propanediol, and a component (C) which is one or more of group consisting of citric acid, lactic acid, hydroxyethylethylenediaminetriacetic acid, hydroxyethyliminodiacetic acid, dihydroxyethylglycine, gluconic acid, phytic acid, pentetic acid, etidronic acid, tartaric acid, and salts thereof, and gluconolactone, and also provides an antibacterial agent for a skin cosmetic which includes the components (A), (B), and (C). The invention also provides a method for enhancing the antibacterial effect of the diol compound of the component (A).
